by Peter Baklinski
WOODBURY, Tennessee, May 16, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A video of a young mom who says she did the right thing by choosing life for her severely disfigured son has been viewed by almost 10 million people around the world. The viewer count is shared between YouTube, where the video has been watched 1.5 million times, GodVine, which has recorded 8 million views, and GodTube, where the video has 76,000 views.
In her video Lacey Buchanan from Woodbury, Tennessee chronicles the story of her baby Christian, who was born with an extremely rare condition known as Tessier cleft that caused severe deformity of his mouth, soft palate, and bony elements of his face. He was also born blind with soft fleshy spots covering his eye sockets.
“This video is about my son Christian, and the decision I made to give him life, when others were telling me to abort him. He is an amazing little boy who has God all over him and I want to share him with the world!,” she writes in the description of the video.
In the low-key video made using her iphone, Lacey holds up written messages to the camera. Christian is resting on his mother’s chest with his back to the camera. At the end of the video, a beaming Lacey turns the sleeping Christian around for the viewer to see him for the first time.
Lacey wrote on her blog that she was inspired to make the video after watching a similar video on YouTube about a young woman named Lizzie, who had a rare syndrome that distorted her facial features and interfered with her ability to gain weight. Lizzie used flashcards to cover her face during the video and only revealed her face at the end.
“This video inspired me so much because I can relate to knowing how it feels to look different,” wrote Lacey on her blog. “It may not be me that looks different, but the stares at my son hurt no less than if they were at me. I thought about how devastated I would be if someone said something to my Christian like they said to Lizzie, that the world would be better without him in it.”
The judgmental comments and stares that Lacey and her son received when they travelled together in public is what convinced the mom to make a video that showed people how seeing through the eyes of love can change everything.
“So I decided that I have a story to tell, too,” she wrote.
One day during her lunch break at work, Lacey sat down and wrote out the messages on pieces of paper cut from a notebook.
“The plan rolled around in my head for the rest of the day, and when I got home that night, I sat down at my computer and ran through a practice video once. Then I grabbed my Christian and we made the video that I posted.”
Lacey first posted the video on YouTube where it reached 600 views the first night. Then, after a friend’s suggestion, she uploaded the video to GodTube where it received 20,000 hits before midnight.
In the next four days the hits doubled to 40,000 hits.
Last Saturday, the video had received over 6 million hits.
“When I was sitting at Vanderbilt Children’s 14 months ago, I thought my life was over,” wrote Lacey. “Little did I know that it was only just the beginning.
“I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I couldn’t see what God was unfolding. Now that it is unfolding, I am just sitting back and being in awe of everything.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything special, and I am definitely not special. It is Christ in me that is so special. He is the one who gives me my joy, my happiness, my love, my peace. Without Christ, I’m positive that I would not have been able to handle everything I’ve been through this past year. I give all the credit and honor to God! He has sustained me for the last 2 years through the pregnancy, birth, and raising of Christian. How awesome is that God we serve that He has not only seen me through this, He has made us victorious.”
Lacey says that she has received messages from people around the world who say that they will now choose life if ever faced with a decision similar to hers.
“God is using Christian to save people!,” she wrote.
“I have had people tell me that they felt sorry for themselves until they saw the video, and now they are thankful that their life was brought into prospective. God is using Christian to bring true joy to people and show them to throw off self pity!”
Lacey wrote about how she used to worry about bringing Christian out in public. She worried about putting him into a baby show. But now with her son in the spotlight, her worries have vanished.
“You better believe now that I will walk Christian out on that stage with the biggest smile on my face and be the proudest mama you’ve ever seen. God is using Christian to show what true beauty is!”
Lacey believes that God his using her son to spread the message of the Gospel across the entire world.
“I have had national news media contact me for interviews, one station planning to follow me around next week to film a day in the life of me and Christian, we are on multiple online news outlets, and our video has been watched over 6 million times. God has shown me that if I will listen to Him, He will do exceedingly more than I could imagine!”
“I am absolutely blown away by the response that the video has had,” she wrote. “I never imagined it would be this big, but I have definitely learned a lesson in not underestimating God’s ability to use people.”
“I am humbled and awestruck with the fact that God is using my son to fulfill His purpose! I just can’t wait to see how He uses Christian in the future!”
This reminds me of the Gospel story when Jesus cures the blind man. He was asked by his disciples, why he had been born blind? Was it his fault or his parents? Jesus said "Neither this man sinned,nor his parents,but that the works of God might be manifested in him." The work of God is, after all, the forming of man. Thank you for sharing this beautiful video.
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